Hating the Jews: The Rise of Antisemitism in the 21st Century

Winner of the Best Book of 2012 by the British Journal for the Study of Anti-Semitism

With attacks by Muslims against Jews in Western Europe reaching all-time highs, Jews are now facing levels of genocidal antisemitism not seen since WWII. Muslims committing attacks on Jews seek to substitute their own claims of victimhood for the Jews’ plight, defining themselves as the “new Jews.” Their demands for recognition are accompanied by acts of public disobedience, violent street protests, and petty crime. The Arab-Israeli struggle has been brought to Europe and extended to cover a hatred of Europe’s Jews as well as those resident in Israel. Gregg Rickman, the United States’ first Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, provides this first-person account and in-depth examination of the rise of antisemitism in the twenty-first century.

Gregg Rickman (PhD University of Miami) was the first U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, serving from 2006-2009.He has traveled to twenty-eight nations on behalf of the victims of antisemitism and is the author of two books on Holocaust-era restitution.

Dr. Rickman presents an unflinching and comprehensive roadmap of the hydra that is contemporary antisemitism. He approached his tenure as US Envoy on Antisemitism, with integrity and courage—traveling from Saudi Arabia and Yemen to the former states of the Soviet Union and in the halls of diplomacy on both sides of the Atlantic, simultaneously cataloguing and combating Jew-hatred. Gregg deserves our gratitude for his service to his country, the Jewish people and for this sobering reminder that history’s oldest hate still thrives in the 21st century.

— Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean, Simon Wiesenthal Center

From Jeddah to Geneva, U.S. Special Envoy Gregg Rickman battled antisemites the world over with courage and conviction. He also had to overcome fierce resistance to his pioneering post within the State Department. Scholarly analysis, lively memoir, and call to action, this book is a must-read for anyone who cares about understanding—and combating—the oldest hatred.

— Hillel C. Neuer, Executive Director of UN Watch

Table of Contents

AcknowledgementsIntroduction

The End of History? The Times Are A-changingChapter OneDurban, 9/11, and the Mattress MiceChapter TwoWe’re Semites Too: Europe’s MuslimsChapter ThreeDenial and Deligitimization Chapter FourThe Missing Limb Chapter FiveDoing the “Right Thing”